Beverages are commonly packaged in containers ranging in size from about six ounces up to about two liters, although different size containers are sometimes used. To facilitate handling, these containers typically are placed in cases that normally hold from eight to twenty-four containers, depending upon the size of the containers and the style of the case.
Reusable molded plastic cases capable of holding the desired number of containers have been developed in the prior art. These cases have a bottom wall or floor and upstanding side and end walls around the periphery of the floor. Cases designed for smaller containers generally are of low-depth construction, and typically have tapered or outwardly inclined sidewalls so that the cases can nest with one another. Other cases that have been developed primarily for use with larger containers have a higher sidewall, i.e., approximately mid-depth construction, with a sidewall that is about one-half the height of beverage containers placed in the case. The sidewalls in these cases generally are vertical and of substantially uniform height. This type of case is referred to in the industry as a “box-style” case and is commonly used for holding containers of one liter size, although they could be designed to hold containers of other sizes, including from about twenty ounces up to two or three liters, for example. These box-style cases do not nest with each other or with cases or boxes of other designs. They do, however, have shallow interengaging structure at their tops and bottoms that permit the bottom of an upper box to extend about ⅜ of an inch into the top of a lower box, permitting the boxes to be stacked in stable relationship with one another.
The inability of box-style cases to nest requires a substantial amount of space for storage and shipment of the cases when empty, leading to increased cost in their use. Moreover, the planar or flat vertical sidewalls typically found in these cases do not provide secure support to containers placed in the case.
It would be desirable, therefore, to have a mid-depth beverage case designed for holding larger beverage containers, wherein the case is nestable and wherein the sidewalls provide secure support to containers placed in the case.